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Statement attributable to the Spokesman for the Secretary-General on Yemen

1 Jul2015

Statement attributable to the Spokesman for the Secretary-General on Yemen

New York

The Secretary-General repeats his call for an immediate end to the fighting in Yemen to help stem the unfolding humanitarian catastrophe in the country.

He calls on the parties to agree, at the very minimum, on an immediate pause in hostilities until the end of the holy month of Ramadan so that humanitarian aid can be delivered into a

nd across Yemen and reach people cut off from vital supplies for months.

In the past three months, some 3,000 Yemenis have been killed, half of them civilians, and 14,000 injured. Over a million people have had to flee their homes and 21 million need immediate help. Close to 13 million people are unable to meet their food needs, 15 million people have no healthcare and outbreaks of dengue and malaria are raging unchecked.

Humanitarian partners have reached 4.4 million people with aid in the past three months, but this is a fraction of those in need. The United Nations, the Red Cross/Red Crescent movement and international NGOs working together have now activated the highest level of emergency response. But without access to all parts of the country, children, women and men will continue to die for lack of food, clean water and healthcare.

The Secretary-General emphasizes that the parties to the conflict must adhere to their obligations under international humanitarian law, protecting civilians and enabling humanitarian workers to deliver life-saving assistance.

The Secretary-General reaffirms the commitment of the United Nations, as expressed through the efforts of his Special Envoy, Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed, to support Yemen in the search for a political solution — the only viable solution — to the conflict.

OSESGY Highlights

Martin Griffiths: Track II efforts complement official negotiations, and lay the foundation for peace-building in Yemen

The Special Envoy of the Secretary General for Yemen, Martin Griffiths, stressed the importance of ongoing Track II efforts, as complementary to official negotiations in Yemen, indicating that it is crucial to work on peace-building in Yemen, in parallel to official diplomatic efforts, known as Track I, to end the war. He added that “the real work in Yemen starts the day after we reach a political deal. We should all work to prepare for that day.

Martin Griffiths to CNN: There is an urgent need to de-escalate the conflict in Yemen

The Special Envoy of the Secretary General for Yemen, Martin Griffiths stressed the importance of turning the calls for de-escalation in Yemen into action. Speaking to Becky Anderson, on CNN's Connect the World on Thursday, Griffiths mentioned that there is "a very strong desire to move from war to peace in Yemen", adding that the challenge now is to turn the calls for de-escalation into action. "What we now urgently need to do is to see what are the first steps that we can make on de-escalating this conflict to give some space for the political process." Griffiths clarified that while a ceasefire is not a pre-condition for resuming political consultations, "the urgent need now is to do something on the issue of downing the temperature of the war while we move towards talks." The Special Envoy confirmed that he is working on re-launching the political talks this month, adding that no firm date and venue have been decided yet.